Stand There and Watch Me Burn
by aqaws321
Summary: Title from: Love the Way You Lie by Eminem ft. Rihanna. "Nikki's hands clenched. She shifted in her seat, unconsciously leaning towards the comm. "Jack, what happened?" The sound of muffled swearing came over the comms. Thornton's eyes narrowed as she said, "Agent. Report, now." This time it was Jack's voice that gave the sitrep. "MacGyver's been shot-""


**Prompt fill for AndiKaneUnderwood over at . Full prompt at bottom.**

 **This kind of picks up in the middle of a mission. The flow of the story worked better this way. Also, this somehow turned into a bit of Nikki backstory?**

 **Warnings for: Blood, but not, like, graphic. They talk about an injury, but nothing's really discussed in detail.**

* * *

Thornton paced as she watched the young girl in front of her. The woman was typing furiously at a computer, trying to hack into the terrorist's database to see where the bomb they had been alerted to was. A moment later, she straightened in triumph. "Got it! Jack, Mac, you need to go to the warehouse you passed earlier and disarm the large bomb you'll find there."

There was a grunt from the open speaker, then a moment of silence. A beat later, a rough voice with a hint of a southern accent came through. "Got it. Mac, you good?"

There was no answer on the comms. Nikki stilled, straining her ears for any hint of her friend's voice, but heard none. The woman felt her breathing speed up slightly, then return to normal as a rasp sounded over the speakers. "Yeah. I'm- I'm, uh, yeah. I heard."

Nikki heard the rustle of fabric behind her and turned slightly to see Thornton move closer to the open comm on the table as she said, "You okay there, Agent MacGyver?"

There was a beat of silence again, and then the sound of slightly ragged breathing. "Yeah. I'm- I'm fine. Um, just, you know, trying to get away from some-"

A loud bang suddenly sounded over the comm, causing both women to jump. There was a strangled sound, and then Jack was shouting. "Mac! Can you hear me? Mac!"

Nikki's hands clenched. She shifted in her seat, unconsciously leaning towards the comm. "Jack, what happened?"

The sound of muffled swearing came over the comms. Thornton's eyes narrowed as she said, "Agent. Report, now."

This time it was Jack's voice that gave the sitrep. "MacGyver's been shot-" Nikki felt her blood rush to her head, the roaring in her ears nearly deafening Jack's next words. "-in the arm. He's bleeding a lot."

Jack let out a sigh, the sound crackling over the speaker. "I bandaged it up pretty good, but he's really pale. I think it hit an artery. He lost a lot of blood."

Thornton wasted no time before saying, "Okay. Get him to the bomb and have him disarm it. Now."

After a moment of hesitation, Jack gave a grunt of assent, then began murmuring to his partner. Nikki muted her end of the comms for a moment as she turned to her boss. "You need to pull them out."

Thornton gave her a look that was incredibly hard to decipher, and said, "I can't. They have to disarm the bomb."

Nikki felt fury spark in her. "There're other agents in the area that know how to do it!"

The older woman shrugged. "But MacGyver's the best. He's got the best chance."

"But he's dying."

"He'll be fine until the bomb is harmless. If I know anything about him, he'll hang on out of sheer stubbornness."

Fuming, but knowing the older woman wasn't going to change her mind, Nikki turned her comm back on and returned to listening to the situation.

* * *

Jack's voice sounded over the comms. "He did it- oh _no_."

Nikki leaned forward in her seat. "Jack, what's happening?"

The older man's hard voice came through the speaker, sounding oddly tinny to Nikki. "He collapsed just after he disarmed the bomb. His pulse is weak. I need extraction, now."

Nikki's fingers had begun flying over the keyboard. "They're five minutes away and have doctors. They'll be able to keep him alive on the flight home."

Jack's voice was grim. "He might not have five minutes."

Nikki had begun to scour the internet, searching for articles on how to deal with a open artery. Suddenly, Thornton moved forward and spoke in the direction of the comm. "Jack, you need to keep pressure on the wound. Even if whatever you're holding on there is soaked with blood, keep it on the wound. Do not let it bleed freely."

Jack's voice was remarkably calm for the situation. "He's losing a lot of blood. I'm not sure if holding a towel on his arm is going to do anything."

Thornton shut her eyes briefly. "Do your best. Don't let him die."

Jack snorted, a sound that conveyed no amusement. "I'm doing my best here."

Silence fell then, enveloping the room. Finally, the doctors arrived on scene. Nikki listened through the speakers as they began to perform emergency procedures on the downed agent. She breathed out a sigh of relief, knowing that medical professionals would know what to do.

* * *

Nikki was sitting in the hospital room in an uncomfortable chair, watching her friend lie pale on the bed. Jack was with her, a solemn expression on his face. Their friend was going to be fine, but he would have to stay in the hospital for a few more days.

The woman glanced up at the door as she heard a noise, and found that her superior was standing there. The older woman seemed to be about to enter the room, but Nikki stood, motioning to Thornton that she wanted to talk to her in the hall. The older woman obliged, following the younger into the deserted corridor. Nikki turned to the older woman, tightly controlling her words. "What," she hissed, "Were you thinking?"

Thornton raised an eyebrow, and Nikki felt her control evaporate at the woman's next words. "I don't know why you're so upset. Yes, your friend was hurt, but the mission was completed."

"You should've pulled them out," Nikki raged at the older woman. "He almost _died_ because of you."

Thornton stared down at the shorter brunet. "He knew the risks. There were too many lives at risk other than his own."

Nikki felt like she had been punched in the gut. "So you'd be willing to sacrifice him to save others?"

Thornton hummed briefly before speaking, clearly speaking delicately. "I think the real question is, wouldn't you?"

Nikki looked up at the woman in front of her. "I can't believe you'd just throw his life away like that."

The taller woman looked coldly at her agent. "I don't want any of my agents to die. Of course I don't. But sometimes, the greater good has to be considered."

With that, Thornton turned and began to walk down the hall to leave the hospital. Nikki stared after the woman she had admired for so long. For the first time, she felt a seed of doubt about belonging at the DXS bloom.

* * *

The seed would bloom and flower, and no one would see it coming.

* * *

 **I want a story (pre-cannon) that has Nikki in it, MacGyver gets REALLY hurt, and Jack has to take care of him for a little bit (like out in the field because... idk no hospitals or something) so they can be rescued. I also want to see Nikki arguing with Thorston because I think that'd be funny to watch. I also adore Mac's stutter, so could you maybe add that in too?**

 **Hope this was okay!**

 **p.s. I clarified with them, and by his stutter, they meant the one that I write him with. Does anyone else like this? Because, like, I could start adding it if they do.**

 **p.p.s. Thornton might seem a bit cold, but keep in mind, this is pretty pre-canon. She's not very close to her agents. However, she does know that she needs to get the mission finished, and she also knows that MacGyver wouldn't want to be pulled from the field if he was the best chance of disarming a bomb. (Also, she was worried out of her mind. This fic was from Nikki's perspective, so she didn't see that Thornton went home and really thought about her own place at the DXS if it meant that she was going to have put people at risk like that.)**


End file.
